How to find room for more kids to sleep.

[Wolfie]

It is currently the most recent post on the page- it's all about ways you can house kids. It has elements of the kids in the closet, and Emily..... http://www.facebook.com/largefamilies (not breaking the link because it's facebook)

A tip that has worked really well in our favor...

we have seven boys and two girls. We kept trying to make it work in four bedrooms, and we were failing miserably. Our 29yo special needs daughter really needs her own space, and because of health reasons needs to stay on the first floor. But we could hardly give up one of the four bedrooms to just one person!

So... we converted the pantry into her bedroom. It's perfect- lots of shelving for her things, and she loves it. She's also 4'4, so diminutive is her thing. LOL

It worked so well that we got out the tape measure and started looking at other spaces. Turns out the closet under the stairs is also big enough for a twin sized mattress. Daughter #2 also has her own room now! This let us spread the boys out (teens in one room, toddlers and elementary in the other) and the downstairs bedroom has the pantry plus other storage.

Our house is running better than it has in a long time, and while the boys are jealous that the girls have their own rooms, they understand. ;)

Hope that helps! Think about your house in a different way, big family moms!

[Talitha Cumi]

OMG, they turned Daughter #2 into Harry Potter!

[breadprincess]

Shades of the Dursleys...

[Terrie]

I'm reminded of a dorm from my college days. It was a converted house, which worked fine, except for one room that was a little too small, so the dresser had to be put in the hallway.

[TXDuck]

The pantry and under the stairs? Do they honestly not know how that looks? "We keep our special needs daughter in the pantry and the other daughter lives under the stairs. The boys? Oh they have the bedrooms." Cue this look from everyone: :shock:

[Guest Anonymous]

The pantry and under the stairs? Do they honestly not know how that looks? "We keep our special needs daughter in the pantry and the other daughter lives under the stairs. The boys? Oh they have the bedrooms." Cue this look from everyone: :shock:

Isn't that a major fire hazard? Heaven forbid the parents were disoriented and unable to tell rescuers to get their children out of the closets and pantries. :shock:

[bellamonster04]

"We keep our special needs daughter in the pantry and the other daughter lives under the stairs."

Can't. Stop. Laughing.

OMG, why is does this seem OK to these people? If you are storing your children in places that people tend to store their extra junk, you've got too many children and/or your place is officially TOO SMALL!

[fluttershies]

Closets under the stairs can be used for mini-offices etc but I would never use it for a bedroom :shock:

[candycanehead]

i had to post on there..that group aggravates me to no end. (not even sure why im on it, to be honest)

poor kid :(

[TXDuck]

Closets under the stairs can be used for mini-offices etc but I would never use it for a bedroom :shock:

We use ours for the kibble keeper, jackets, and extra blankets... :?

[ilovetchotchkes]

We use ours for the kibble keeper, jackets, and extra blankets... :?

My son plays in the one in the basement like a fort. But he sure as shit doesn't SLEEP IN IT.

[BelieveinScience]

One of the families has their kids living in the living room on the sofa bed. What kids don't deserve privacy.

I like how one of the commenters said that they gave their 2 oldest boys their master bedroom and instead she and her husband sleep in their tiny guestbedroom in the basement. Sounds like that person values their kids, in my opinion.

[DifferentGurl]

This is the reason why my parents only had 2 kids ( me and my sister ). Our house is small and even then our rooms are pretty small. My bed area is the size of a cupboard ( though I do get the rest of the small attic for my bedroom ) and I can't even stand up straight!

[formergothardite]

When she says that the closet under the stairs is big enough for a twin size mattress, does that mean they didn't even put a bed in there? Just a mattress?

[CanadianHippie]

One kid and a pantry, the other kid in a closet while their brothers get actual bedrooms. You can't just store your kids at night.

[TXDuck]

I like how one of the commenters said that they gave their 2 oldest boys their master bedroom and instead she and her husband sleep in their tiny guestbedroom in the basement. Sounds like that person values their kids, in my opinion.

Perhaps and it is admirable in a way. However, I still think it would have been more admirable to limit the number of kids to those you could adequately house. After the fact, yeah, it is making the best out of a bad situation.

[CanadianHippie]

When she says that the closet under the stairs is big enough for a twin size mattress, does that mean they didn't even put a bed in there? Just a mattress?

That doesn't really bug me so much, but then I spent most of my life with a just a mattress and it didn't negatively affect me. My parent putting me in a closet would have though, which is probably why they made stop after a week when I created a closet nest for myself well that a fire safety as someone mentioned above.

[TXDuck]

One kid and a pantry, the other kid in a closet while their brothers get actual bedrooms. You can't just store your kids at night.

Apparently, you can. It's just a matter of debate about how healthy that is. (Ok, so there probably isn't much room for debate.) Er.. pun not intended.

[Peas n carrots]

I'm really surprised Emily isn't posting on this page!

[Minerva]

That doesn't really bug me so much, but then I spent most of my life with a just a mattress and it didn't negatively affect me. My parent putting me in a closet would have though, which is probably why they made stop after a week when I created a closet nest for myself well that a fire safety as someone mentioned above.

I spent a year sleeping on an awful mattress and it wasn't that bad, but a mattress on the floor in a pantry or Harry Potter cupboard doesn't sound sanitary considering that those spaces are far more likely to contain mice and bugs.

[ElphabaGalinda]

Keeping kids in the closet under the stairs was not okay in Harry Potter, and it's not okay in real life. Does it even fit anything other than a twin sized bed? Kids deserve some possesions. And I'd find a space like that claustrophobic.

[keen23]

I know that our downstairs closet would easily hold a twin bed, but there's no way I'd ever have a kid sleep in there! I mean, worse case scenario, we could easily divide the master bedroom into two bedrooms, and convert the large walk-in closet to a third (it's an 8x8 square with a window, so average dimensions of a small bedroom), we'd move to one of the small bedrooms. But then again, I'm a big fan of birth control, so I won't be having that many kids. Plus, don't bedrooms need to have windows to be real bedrooms????

[gardenvarietycitizen]

That doesn't really bug me so much, but then I spent most of my life with a just a mattress and it didn't negatively affect me. My parent putting me in a closet would have though, which is probably why they made stop after a week when I created a closet nest for myself well that a fire safety as someone mentioned above.

Having grown up sleeping in a regular futon (meaning, directly on the floor and it's folded up and put away during the day) I have no problem with people sleeping on only a mattress, nor do I have a problem with people sleeping in the main common room (as long as they have some private office space or desk for their own stuff that's just THEIRS).

But while I suspect the kid sleeping under the stairs probably finds it cozy and neat in there (I probably would have) - the fire hazard problem is an issue.

Better to have that kid keep her stuff in there/study in there, but sleep in the main room if that's what it takes.

FWIW by me you can't call a room a bedroom (or use it as one, or list it as one when you rent out a house) unless it has a window in it that can be escaped from. That means no sleeping in closets and no sleeping in the basement either unless you've got a proper sized window (which most basements do - they're small, but above that minimum size).

[IamCanadian]

Check out this reply to someone who was mixed up on which child slept where:

No, she didn't put her special needs daughter under the stairs. You might want to re-read her post :o)

Ok, so she didn't put her under the stairs. She put her in the pantry! How the hell is that any better? :roll:

[AmyP]

I had a friend with too many kids and not enough bedrooms. Her solution- make the entire basement a bedroom suite for the oldest kids and the younger ones slept upstairs in the regular rooms.